A Strangers Kindness
by Hitomi Shirou
Summary: Raivis thinks he struck it lucky when a stranger by the name of Ivan offers to take him in. But remember kids; don't talk to strangers. Oneshot.


**Author Commentary;** I wrote this out months ago for English class. I figured what the heck, I'll put it up. Hope you enjoy it.

**Characters;** Latvia, Russia, Lithuania, Estonia

**Rating;** K+

**Warnings;** Hinted abuse

**Disclaimer;** The characters aren't mine at all.

Raivis sneezed, _"Great,"_ he thought, _"Now I'm coming down with a cold. I should have just stayed home."_

This was true. If Raivis Galante had stayed in the home provided for him in Latvia, he wouldn't be freezing in the streets of Moscow. Granted, he would be in the hands of his weird foster parents and their equally weird friends. They always watched him with this odd fascination, like they wanted to know everything about him; everything.

"_I wish Mom and Dad were still alive."_ Raivis thought, _"Then I wouldn't be in this stupid situation in the first place."_

Raivis sighed, his breath condensing in the cold autumn air. If only his parents hadn't died in that train wreck, then he would be sitting around a cozy fire with a mug of steaming hot chocolate and laughing at his fathers antic and his mothers bawdy jokes. He would still be in school, he would be warm, he would be fed, he would be a lot of things, but he wouldn't be here freezing his extremities off on some nameless street in Russia.

"_Oh wonderful,"_ Raivis thought, _"Now I'm getting depressed, and that makes the situation so much better."_

A sudden shadow appearing in front of him made Raivis look up. Way up. The man in front of him was around 182 centimeters in height alone. He had broad shoulders and looked rather heavy-set (but it could have been the long coat he was wearing), but his face was round like a child's. His beige-blond hair looked almost white in the weak moonlight and his eyes were the colour of amethysts.

"Hello little one, what are you doing on the street?" he asked in Russian, his voice a lot higher and softer than one would think for a man his size, "Don't you have a home?"

Raivis thanked his lucky stars that he could speak Russian, "I ran away."

The tall stranger stared at him for a moment before reaching into his grocery bag and pulling out a small bread bun and holding out for Raivis to take. Raivis casually took the offered food, but was rejoicing inside for the chance to quiet his stomach.

"My name is Ivan Braginski." he said, "I live not far from here. Would you like to come stay with me?"

Raivis bit into the bread bun, contemplating what the tall Russian man was asking. He didn't seem too horrible, offering him food and shelter, but Raivis couldn't get past the slightly threatening aura Ivan seemed to give off. Raivis shook it off as living on the street for too long. Finishing off the bun, Raivis picked up his one backpack of belongings and stood, ready to follow Ivan home.

Ivan smiled, holding out his hand for Raivis to take. When Raivis hesitated, the smile faded. Not wanting to offend his savior, Raivis put his small hand in the Russian's larger one. Ivan smiled again and led him down the street.

After a few blocks, the pair came to a large, old looking house. The architecture was typical of early Baroque era Russia; domed roof and arches, all for decorative purposes. Leading him up the walkway, Raivis couldn't help but wonder if Ivan lived alone. It would be lonely living in such a big house all by ones self.

"Toris! Eduard!" Ivan called softly as they entered, "I'm back, and I brought a new friend with me!"

Two pairs of eyes popped out in the darkness, both a shade of green. A medium height brunette and a bespectacled blonde stepped out. They looked rather afraid.

"A-ah, Mr. B-Braginski. How nice of you to invite someone into your home." the brunette said, shaking and stuttering where he stood.

"Toris." Ivan said, "Raivis was on the street when I found him. He must be cold and hungry. Please get him something warm to eat."

Toris nodded and ushered Raivis into the kitchen, the blonde, presumably Eduard, following close behind. As Toris fixed the small Latvian a meal, he talked in a rushed sort of manner.

"So, where did you come from?" he asked.

"Latvia, just a few kilometers from the coast." Raivis answered.

"So what brings you this far inland?" Eduard asked, his voice deadpan.

"I ran away from home." Raivis isn't afraid to speak the truth.

Toris and Eduard exchanged looks.

"So where are you guys from? You don't speak with Russian accents." Raivis changed the subject.

Toris smiled, it's the first smile Raivis had seen on the man, "I'm from Lithuania and Eduard here is from Estonia." he says cheerfully, "Though I was living in Poland before I came here."

The three (mostly Raivis and Toris) spoke as Raivis ate. Toris seems nice enough, always answering questions politely and attempting to keep everyone happy. He struck Raivis as a doting big brother type, always looking after everyone, but running himself ragged as he did so. Eduard was a little less friendly, but nice enough not to be called rude. Raivis guessed he was either mistrusting or shy, one of the two.

"Raivis?" Ivan called from somewhere upstairs, "Could you come here for a little bit? I'd like to speak to you."

As Raivis stands, he notices Toris and Eduard exchange fearful glances. Eduard then turned to him and mouthed, _"Run."_

Raivis gives him a strange look, then he saw Toris lift his shirt. It was only a few centimeters, but it was enough. Every square millimeter of skin was marred by scars, bruises, or bandages covering open wounds. Raivis's eyes widened and he thought back to the uneasy feeling he felt around the tall Russian, the aura of threat that surrounded the man.

"Raivis? Are you still there?" Ivan giggled childishly from somewhere behind him. For the first time that night, Raivis didn't shiver from the cold.

**Author Commentary;** So what did you think? Good Y/N/M? Please review. There's a nice little button you can click just over here.

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